


A happy ending.

by ColorMeHappy



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanahaki Disease, Jim and Isabella are only mentioned, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 18:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21462589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeHappy/pseuds/ColorMeHappy
Summary: Oswald has hanahaki and it's getting worse... Edward finds out.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 6
Kudos: 121





	A happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> First fic in the gotham fandom in yoinks! Hopefully it's acceptable. 
> 
> Could be seen as a little graphic with Oswald coughing up blood but im not a fan of tooooooo much angst.

Oswald was sick, and not in the traditional way. Neither in the way that he was insane, although he had been diagnosed with that before. He was perfectly sane now, well at least on paper. Oswald was sick in a way only ever depicted in fairy tales and Gothamites worst nightmares. The way his Father had been ever since his mother had left, and what he had eventually died of.

The way Oswald believed he was physically incapable of being. He had Hanahaki disease. The curse of love was all too real in this world. Not only heartache and break you had to worry about, but physical illness. The whole thing was poetically grotesque, you learnt about it in school of course. Sometimes it was only temporary, recovery was common and possible. There was much research put into it as well, he was sure if had told or asked Edward, he’d learn a lot more.

Edward probably researched it extensively, things to help Oswald’s aching throat and cough. But Oswald wouldn’t tell him, because that would also require telling the blasted man who he loved. Unfortunately for Oswald, that man was Edward, causing a fairly big problem for them both.

Oswald believed he was loved in return for a little while, well until Isabell-a came into the picture. That very night Oswald was going to confess, he had a whole dinner set up and everything! He’d practised this for so long, he began to cough. When Edward came home the next day telling tales of a new woman in his life, the cough had gotten oh so much worse. That evening he had coughed up his first petal. He hadn’t even had time to research what kind of flower it was, it was colourful. Green tinted with slashes of purple.

_ Wow lucky him, a bright and colourful demise! _

_ _

There was a whole industry built around researching this natural phenomenon, some people believed God gave us this as a warning against false love. But since it was only found among humans many scientists devote their lives for a cure and or reason as to why it occurs, to begin with. Oswald knows this only because Edward told him one evening when he was first healing from a bullet to the shoulder and from the pain of his mother’s death.

_“I imagine if it wasn’t just romantic love, then you would have a form of Hanahaki now.” _He had said, Oswald supposed it was meant to be sympathetic or sweet, it made Oswald cringe at the time._ “It’d be a poetic way to go, wouldn’t it?”_ Edward added, Oswald had remained silent. Rhetorical or otherwise Edward didn’t know how right he would be.

He hadn’t spent enough working hours away with Edward for the man to realize it was more than a cold, he religiously hid the petals in places Edward could never find them, or in his own room. Safe from realizing anything was wrong. Maybe he would die from this fucking disease, then Edward would notice.

No, that was cruel, even for him. Ed was his friend, stupid blonde bimbo aside he would notice eventually, and he cared for Oswald like no one had since his mother. Edward was the best friend he’d ever have, and idiotic romantic feelings aside Oswald didn’t want Edward to feel guilt over this. He could never tell the man who caused these symptoms.

Oswald was sitting their shared living room nursing a glass of wine more cautiously than before he’d gotten sick, best not cough up a perfectly good glass of red. Edward was probably out with Isabel. Isabell-A. Oswald had taken to correcting himself, if a stupid woman might as well be the cause of your death, then take care to remember her name.

He was staring into the fireplace blankly, the very fireplace that had been roaring the same moment he had even realized he loved the man he did. “Fate has a good sense of karma it seems,” Oswald muttered to himself.

“What was that?”

Edward Nygma had appeared seemingly out of nowhere sending Oswald into a confused cough, “Oh goodness, are you alright Oswald?” Ed rushed to his side, only making the coughing worse much to Oswald’s dismay. He covered his mouth desperately to keep the green and purple from showing. With a frankly impressive move of sleight of hand, he slid the hand with the flowers into his pocket without detection. Only leaving a small trace of blood on his mouth.

“Oswald, you were coughing up blood? That’s dangerous you may be seriously ill.” The statement, to Oswald, was hilarious. You may be seriously ill was an understatement since Hanahaki has been the leading cause of death since the beginning of time.

Oswald smiled and shook his head, wiping the blood on his mouth, “I bit my lip.” He rasped. Edward frowned and sat down gingerly beside him.

“Are you sure you’re alright Oswald?”

Oswald once again nodded and smiled through gritted teeth, really not thinking about the consequences of having blood on his teeth as well. “Oh my god!” Ed cried immediately cupping Oswald’s face causing to almost squawk in fear.

_ Well fuck, here it comes. Ed is going to know, he’ll be disgusted with you. How pathetic can I be? Or worse! He’d pity me! _

_ _

“Oswald…” After a stretch of silence in which Edward tried to haphazardly examine the inside of his mouth. “You have Hanahaki don’t you?” He was frowning, looking less pitying and more… Scared.

Oswald gaped for a minute after Ed released his grip. Before stuttering, “I um. I…” He began coughing,

_ Great timing there. _

_ _

He felt the petals rising in his throat and the coughs definitely gave it away to Ed. Coving his mouth with his hand he felt the Petals get hacked up. Tears formed in his eyes as Edward grabbed his shoulders and began rubbing circles on them with fear. “Oswald? Oswald how long have you had this oh my god.”

Oswald tore his hand away when the coughing settled but the tears didn’t, felt them spill out and down his face. He felt disgusted and scared, all spread out with everything on display and Edward could see it. Edward would hate him.

“Oswald, who did this to you? I could kill them! How could anyone not love you?”

_ Another way to make his heartache worse? Tempt what you cannot give. _

_ _

“Don’t kill him!” Oswald gasped balling his hands up to cover the petals that may as well scream that the ‘Who’ that did this was Edward himself. Mind you, Oswald was probably already subconsciously screaming his affection for him without realizing.

Edward pulled Oswald into a hug. “Oswald this is serious, you could die… I can’t loose you.”

“Really Ed it’s okay. It’s been like this for a while.”

“You kept it from me? Oswald, I’m your friend I want to help.”

Oswald shook his head, he knew now that even if Ed didn’t realize it himself. Oswald would have to tell him who he was really in love with. This was the least ideal conditions to make any sort of romantic confession but for now, they’d really just have to do. Oswald looked like a mess, but Edward had seen him worse. Edward had a girlfriend, who he apparently loved… But better now than never. Speak now or forever hold your peace or whatever.

“Ed… I didn’t want to keep it from you because we’re friends. You’ve helped me through so much and I didn’t want to keep this from you.”

Edward pulled away from their hug, Oswald sucked in a breath.

_ Oh my god he has tears in his eyes… _

_ _

“It’s who you’re in love with, isn’t it? I’ve noticed you’ve been getting sick I just never imagined this. Who is it? I promise I’ll never judge you Oswald. Even if it’s someone like… Jim Gordon.”

Oswald almost laughed, Oddly specific but it was funny. Oswald looked up at Ed, expecting to see a smile, oh no Ed looked serious. Did he seriously think he’d fall in love with Jim Gordon? Were Oswald’s standards that low to him? He did have a crush back in the day but he wouldn’t fall in love with him. Let alone get a disease for him. Edward was perfect, he was handsome and incredibly smart and most of all… He accepted Oswald. He understood him, he was right there by his side through anything and Oswald trusted him with anything. He was… Edward nygma...

“Oh no Ed I don’t love him. I love you.” Edward’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, Oswald must have mirrored him too as he gasped. Edward’s grip went tight.

_ Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck that was NOT how that was supposed to go. Oh my god Oswald you’re an idiot, how the hell did you fuck that up. _

_ _

“You… You what?”

_ Now or never you romantic idiot _

_ _

“I love you Edward.”

Oswald was expecting a rejection at this point, something at all really. But for about five seconds, or what felt like an eternity, he got nothing but an awkward and emotionally draining silence. Then the petals came. He coughed and hacked, and Edward still sat there motionless.

“You love me? I did this to you?” Edward mumbled quietly, his grip went tighter again but his other hand began rubbing circles on Oswald’s back. “No! You didn’t do this to me Ed it’s not your fault.” Oswald rasped and looked away from the fear and shock he found looking back at him. Edward let go finally and cupped Oswald’s face, causing him to snap his mouth shut to keep from coughing anymore.

Edward was almost crying, “Oswald…”

_ Here it comes, rejection, this will be as good as him murdering you by his own hand. _

_ _

“I love you too.”

Oswald almost felt his brain short circuiting, he was lying to try and get the illness to go away now? He knew Edward cared for him like a friend but he also knew Edward Nygma would never love a man like him, this was cruel. Even for a murderer, this was unrecognizably cruel.

_ My dear boy… _

_ _

“Edward, I know you love Isabella please don’t lie to me.”

“No Oswald you don’t know that! I’ve had a crush on you since before I met you I followed you around and I read all of your files and any news on you. When I met you I tried to convince myself I simply looked up to you but that wasn’t true I wanted nothing more than to be with you.” Edward began talking, rambling and Oswald could hardly keep up.

_ It sounds like he’s telling the truth though… _

“When you showed me kindness in Arkham? It hit me like a brick Oswald. I loved you, It was so different from Miss Kringle, So much more real. I could hardly believe it it was real.”

_ _

_ More than miss Kringle? _

Edward chuckled to himself, smiling brighter, “Then, you got me out, you let me into your life and even though I was grateful I tried to keep from showing you this because I thought you’d hate me.”

“But It seemed to be getting so real! Then… by the fireplace… I thought you’d kiss me. I thought it was me being delusional so… I found Isabella.”

Oswald sat in silence listening to him. Hope was growing and blooming inside of him so different from the flowers that were growing inside his lung with every word Edward was saying they seemed to wilt and die.

“Oswald. I don’t love her, I love you.”

His coughing stopped and he sat silently for a moment. Edward, still cupping his jaw pulled him in for a kiss. Oswald accepted, melting against Ed’s lips as they moved in unison with the firelight dancing behind him. Oswald felt at peace, he’d never felt more deeply in love with the man before him than now, now that he was sure that he wasn’t alone. Someone loved him.

_ Maybe I can get a happy ending. _

**Author's Note:**

> :)))
> 
> Hope the nygmob fans enjoyed!!


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